Floor standing or wall-mounted vanity unit – which is better?

What is a vanity unit?

The vanity unit or wash stand is the original bathroom suite. And today’s units are inspired by those beautiful old stands you see in antique shops today, right down to the countertop basins that have come back into fashion over the past few years. A typical vanity unit features a countertop in Corian®, solid surface, marble or other ceramic and, beneath it, either a cabinet, drawer or chest of drawers.

One relatively recent development in vanity unit design is the wall-mounted option. Sleek, sophisticated and a serious luxury style statement, the wall-mounted vanity cabinet is now just as popular as its freestanding sibling, which at one time was the only option. But which is better?

Which vanity unit looks better?

This is, of course, all a question of taste. If you’re a hyper modernist, you will of course, go for the wall hung wash stand as your first choice. It looks cool. It’s easy to clean beneath. And it has that minimalist, floating feeling that allows the space to breathe around it. The freestanding vanity unit, by comparison, has a much more classic feel. It brings a sense of sturdiness to the bathroom; of being more rooted in its surroundings; and of permanence. Freestanding vanities may make the bathroom feel smaller, but what you lose in perception of space, you perhaps gain in the sense of opulent luxury.

Orion Corian® Basin + Athena Classic Wall-Mounted Vanity Unit

How big is your bathroom?

If you’re designing a bathroom in a small space, a wall-mounted wash stand will give you that crucial extra floor space. In a bigger space, the wall-mounted vanity can get lost, though as we say above, it all depends on your taste and style. Minimalist design is all about maximising that space. Finally, if you’re thinking about installing a wall-mounted vanity unit in a smaller space, you’ll need to think about how your bathroom has been plumbed to see if you can incorporate it (see below). And, if not, there are lots of slimline floor-standing vanity units you can choose from that will help you to maintain the sense of space, even in a smaller washroom or en suite.

Hatysa Plus DuPont™ Corian® Wall Mounted Washbasin

Plumbing in a vanity unit

If you’re thinking of installing wall-mounted vanity unit, there’s a likelihood that you will have to re-route your piping to do so. You certainly can’t have pipes showing through the floor. This will probably mean pulling up your floor covering, which, if it’s tiled (which it should be – Taste Police Ed.) means a whole new problem to fix after the fact. But if your bathroom remodelling project is from scratch, this shouldn’t be such a big deal so long as you have the budget. The floor-standing vanity unit, by comparison, is much easier to plumb in, so long as you’re not planning to move it from wherever the washbasin was that came before it.

Are freestanding vanity units cheaper?

The short answer is, generally, yes. Of course, the wall-mounted vanity units IKEA sell are going to be cheaper than the freestanding washstands Riluxa sells – but that’s just the difference between off-the-shelf factory products and custom-built, made-to-measure, luxury bathrooms. The main reason wall-mounted vanity units tend to be more expensive than floor-standing vanities is simply that they’re a more complicated design with more parts, such as wall brackets. The other is that they simply have that high-end design feel that makes them more marketable as a luxury item.

Amsterdam Freestanding Solid Surface Vanity Unit

The verdict?

Sorry to be the bearers of bad news, but we don’t have an answer for you. It’s simply a case of different vanity units for different folks. Only you know what’s going to work best for your own personal dream bathroom. The good news is, though, you certainly have some stunning options to choose from.